


Second-Rate

by SailorChibi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Happy Ending, I love when tony and clint just snark at each other all day, M/M, Mentions of Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers - Freeform, Mentions of alcohol, Mild Angst, Pre-Slash, Protective Clint Barton, Sarcasm, getting drunk, hangovers, implied alcoholism, laura barton and kids do not exist here, no civil war here, one of those fics where steve dumps tony after bucky comes home, so a little steve saltiness is within, tony falls off the wagon, written before AOU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-12 19:10:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12966405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: After Bucky returns to the tower and officially hooks back up with Steve, Tony gets drunk to deal with being dumped. An unexpected crasher helps.





	Second-Rate

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic I've had half written for like... years. I once had intentions of making it longer, but it is what it is for now.

Tony didn't have to look to know when someone else entered the room. Not only did the mood change, the stare was pretty much impossible to ignore. He cracked an eye open and waved the glass in his hand. "Feel free to help yourself, Barton."

He was fully expecting Clint to turn around and leave. Instead, a moment later a weight settled down onto the couch beside Tony, just close enough for Tony to feel the illusion of heat. He heard the unmistakable sound of a bottle being opened and liquid pouring into a glass. Clint corked the bottle and took a drink, tongue lapping wetly at the alcohol, followed by a low hum of appreciation.

Then Clint said, "Thought you were on the wagon."

"I was," Tony said simply, and took another drink. It burned in just the right way, but did little to chase away the image burned into his brain. He stared into the alcohol. "You know what it's like to come in second place? To be so close that you think it's a sure thing, and you're already making plans for what you're gonna do, and then something or someone sweeps in at the last minute and that's when you realize... you're second."

"You're second?"

"I'm never first," Tony muttered, tossing back the rest of it. 

"I know that feeling," Clint said after a few seconds of contemplative silence. He tossed back his drink too, then leaned forward to grab the bottle. He poured them both a generous amount. "A toast to second-rate."

Tony chuckled a little at that, a bitter sound he didn't even recognize, and gently tapped his glass against Clint's. "Steve doesn't get it," he said instead of drinking. "He was always last. Never close enough to taste it. And then he just jumped straight into first. He's been first ever since."

"Stark," Clint said, in a tone more kind than Tony would have thought him capable of, "who else is first?"

"Like you can't guess."

"Barnes," Clint mumbled, and sighed.

"Barnes," Tony said, hoping that the slight quiver of his mouth wasn't visible in the already dim light. On some level he'd been expecting it to happen, but that hadn't prepared him for how it would feel to walk into a room and see them kissing.

The really shitty thing was, he couldn't even say anything about it. There was nothing concrete between him and Steve, not yet. Sure, things had looked like they might move in that direction - but nothing had ever been said. Tony had just made a hell of a lot of assumptions. Judging by the expression on Clint's face as he started to get up, Tony wasn't the only one.

"Don't," he said, suddenly weary, snagging Clint's thigh with his foot. "It's not worth it."

"It's not cool," Clint pointed out.

"What isn't? That Steve found the love of his life again?" Tony raised both eyebrows, daring Clint to say anything. Because really, what could you say to that?

Clint pursed his lips and wrinkled his nose as he sank back down onto the couch. He looked at the coffee table and the bottles of alcohol and said, "We need pizza. And donuts. And ice cream and chocolate."

"JARVIS," Tony called. "Put an order in. You know what we like."

The rest of the night was mostly a blur. Tony ate until his stomach hurt and then drank until he couldn't see straight. He passed out sometime around 3am and woke up well after noon the next day to the sound of Clint throwing up in the bathroom. Tony wrinkled his nose at the ceiling. He got killer headaches after drinking too much, but not nauseous thank god.

He laid there on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling. He had to get over this Steve thing. It was his own fault for getting carried away. He and Steve hadn't even been out on a date yet. Sure they'd kissed once or twice, and Tony had indulged in a couple of long-term fantasies... but that was really as far as they'd gone. In comparison to what Steve and Bucky shared, that was nothing at all.

"Okay, you had your pity party," he said to himself. "But now you have to get over it, or else you'll be facing months of Steve's puppy dog eyes." Or worse, which Tony didn't even want to acknowledge as an option, the sting of having Steve forget about him entirely. 

"What was that?" Clint stumbled into the room, looking worse for the wear. 

"A pep talk," Tony replied, wincing as he pushed himself up part way. There was that headache, right on schedule. "You okay?"

"I need greasy food." Clint sat heavily on the coffee table. Both of them winced as a couple of bottles fell over. 

"I thought your stomach was upset."

"Greasy food will fix that."

"I don't think that's really how it works."

"That's totally how it works," Clint said. "Wanna come?"

"Outside?" Tony didn't meant to sound as horrified as he did. Clint cracked a smile.

"Yeah, Stark, outside. Your fancy sunglasses will protect you."

"I could also stay here, where JARVIS regulates the light."

"If you stay here, you'll miss coming on a date with me."

Tony paused, the glib response dying on his tongue. "A date?"

"With me," Clint said, looking him straight in the eyes. "This is me. Officially asking you out."

"I don't need a pity date."

"No pity here. Just a man who wants to ask out another sexy man."

"Another, huh? You should really brush your teeth before you call yourself sexy."

Clint rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. "I'll brush them if you'll come out to breakfast with me."

Tony started to think about it, but then realized he didn't actually need to think about it at all. Clint wasn't wrong when he'd labeled himself as sexy, and, next to Bruce, he was the Avenger that Tony got on best with. He could admit he'd never thought about Clint like that before, but in the wake of being sort of dumped by Steve... why not? It beat hanging out around the tower and watching Steve and Bucky making doe eyes at each other all day.

But there was just one pressing, obvious question. He glanced at Clint, and genuinely curious, asked, "Aren't you afraid of being a rebound?" 

"Nope. Cause I'm second-rate, same as you. I've been there. I get it." Clint winked. "Let's start with breakfast. If it goes well, we can come back to the tower and have such good and loud sex that Steve will weep into his wheaties."

Tony laughed in spite of himself. "You're on."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


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